Riding A Dream Academy to expand programme after landing three-year funding deal

The Riding A Dream Academy, which encourages young riders from underrepresented communities to break into the racing industry, has secured a three-year funding deal from the Racing Foundation following a successful pilot year.

The money will be used to expand programmes offered by the academy, which was named after the documentary that followed Magnolia Cup winning rider Khadijah Mellah as in 2019 she became the first British Muslim woman to ride and win a competitive race in the UK.

The academy, open to those aged 14-18, runs the year-long Khadijah Mellah Scholarship for talented riders and a rider-based residential week with plans to offer a residential week for non-riders and regional weeks within local communities, all delivered by the British Racing School.

ITV Racing's Oli Bell, co-founder of the academy, said: "We are incredibly grateful to the Racing Foundation for their enduring support of the Riding A Dream Academy and for sharing our vision of a more diverse and inclusive sport.

"The foundation has been with us from the start when they helped to fund the original Riding A Dream documentary which followed Khadijah Mellah's incredible story, through to our pilot year.

"For us to be in the position to support many other young people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds through their funding is a fitting legacy to all that Khadijah achieved and will help racing identify and support diverse talent from across the country."

Oli Bell: co-founder of the Riding A Dream AcademyCredit: Edward Whitaker

The Racing Foundation will provide funding of £165,000 in the first year, with the remaining years contingent on performance, and the academy is looking to move to some kind of charitable status to access additional funding from other sources.

Naomi Lawson, another co-founder of the academy, said: "Being able to provide amazing opportunities to talented riders and young people with an interest in horseracing from a wide range of communities is at the heart of the academy and we are excited to be able to expand our programmes and reach many more individuals thanks to the Racing Foundation's funding.

"The pilot has demonstrated the impact the academy can have in making racing more diverse and inclusive with our students already working in the industry, applying for the foundation course and taking up other opportunities within the sport."

Lawson will move on from her role as director of communications at Great British Racing (GBR), where she has been for ten years, to lead the academy.

"It has been brilliant to be part of such a talented group of people who are so passionate about promoting all that is great about British racing," she said.

"There is such a breadth of work that GBR undertakes on behalf of the industry and I will massively miss working with Rod Street and all the team. At the same time, I am also excited about being able to help make racing more diverse and inclusive by focusing on the academy and its work."

Nicole Callaghan is a parent of one of the academy students and she said: "The positive impact it has had on my daughter's life has been immeasurable. Her lifelong dream of training as a jockey has been made possible by this opportunity and I hope she can continue to work towards her goals now that this door has opened. It has literally changed her life in ways I could not have made possible - I am forever grateful."

Racing Foundation chief executive Rob Hezel said: "The Racing Foundation would like to congratulate Naomi Lawson and Oli Bell, two individuals with a genuine desire to drive change in the racing industry, on launching the next stage of the Riding A Dream Academy.

"We are delighted to fund the academy as it builds on the success of its pilot year and delivers tangible, life-enhancing opportunities for young people passionate about racing."

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